I'll be the one if you want me to
by LunaSeasMoonChild
Summary: It is decades later, past the prime of their youth and in the autumn of their aging, that their love story starts. Or rather, when they pick up from where they left off. [ShikaIno]


**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO, NOR THE SONG 'SAY SOMETHING' BY THE GREAT BIG WORLD.**

 _ **Author's notes:**_ The title is a line from the song _Say Something_ by The Great Big World. I was familiar with this song, but then I encountered it on a ShikaIno tumblr, ( ) and I listened to this song while thinking of ShikaIno. I encountered that line, then BOOM! Finally got my title. Originally, the story was inspired when I watched the music video of How I Became the Bomb's _Ulay, Oh_ , starring Marina Abramovic and Ulay. It's frigid' beautiful and really pulled my heartstrings to induce some tears and feels. So anyway… yeah, I just have a lot of ShikaIno feels, ok? T_T

Anyway, this was kind of done in a rush, so sorry for any mistakes that I missed. =_= I hope you enjoy my first ShikaIno fic!

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Once, this place was just a meadow sprinkled with patches of wildflowers on a carpet of weeds. At present, the meadow had been transformed into a park, its grass trimmed with bushes of chosen flowers strategically planted in several spots. Before, this meadow had been empty, but now, it had picnic tables and park benches all over, with civilians and shinobi regularly taking a stroll or spending family day in the park erected in honor of the seventh hokage's wife's beloved cousin.

Sometimes, Ino wondered if Hinata was aware of what the flowers symbolized when she gave the list of flowers she wanted to be planted for the park to be built in Neji's honor. Nevertheless, Ino never said a word nor asked for a subtle confirmation as she dutifully delivered what was requested. Some truths were best not spoken aloud.

Daffodils, for chivalry, rebirth, new beginnings and eternal life. It can also mean unrequited love. **[1]**

Daisies for loyal love, also bearing the message, _I will never tell_. **[1]**

Gardenias for purity, sweetness, joy, and secret love. **[1]**

Hydrangeas for heartfelt emotions, also for gratitude. **[1]**

Gladioluses for strength of character, faithfulness, and honor. Also a flower for remembrance. **[1]**

Purple lilacs for first love. **[1]**

Ino plucked a purple lilac, a gardenia, and a gladiolus as sentimentality wrapped around her like the chill of the coming autumn. Ino lifted her shawl to cover her shoulders. She grinned at herself; she must be getting old if she was starting to reminisce with a wisp of regret as if it were a pastime.

But then again, it should've already been a sign that she was getting old when she no longer wore her belly-bearing outfit that accentuated her curves, opting instead to wear a purple, long-sleeved, turtleneck one-piece dress underneath the red coat she inherited from her father, the mantle of the head of the Yamanaka clan.

Nowadays, the Yamanaka red coat was worn by her only son, Inojin, instead. Nowadays, she also kept her long, sunshine bright locks in a braid over her shoulder, instead of having them loose. Nowadays, she was mostly seen in civilian garb instead of her trademark shinobi attire. Nowadays, she mostly worked in the family's flower shop instead of the Intelligence and Interrogation division.

Yes, Ino thought, she was getting old. But then again, she wasn't legally considered a senior citizen yet, given that she was currently in her forties. As a shinobi, she was lucky to have reached that age. Many in her profession died too early. But though she wasn't of the age for retirement, she had already passed on the title of the Yamanaka clan head to her son, and she had taken up a consulting position in the Intelligence and Interrogation division, having stepped down after serving as its chief for years.

"Obaasan! Obaasan!" The familiar tinkling voice of a little girl brought Ino out of her musings.

Ino leisurely strolled to her granddaughter while the blonde tyke eagerly ran towards her grandmother. Before the little one could reach her, Ino knelt to meet her. "Yes, my darling?"

The little girl wrapped her arms around Ino's neck. "Obaasan, what's that?" She asked, looking at the flowers in Ino's hand.

"Ah, these?" And Ino stood, taking her granddaughter's hand and leading her towards her father and older twin brother who were playing catch nearby. "You know, my darling, the flowers here were provided by the Yamanaka flower shop to the hokage's wife."

"So we own the flowers?"

Ino chuckled. "No, my darling, we do not. This place is for everyone. Not even the hokage's wife owns this place even though she was the one to put this up for the public."

"Inori!" Inohara, Inojin's firstborn son, called out to his twin, beckoning her to join him and their father in their game.

"Run along now."

Inori ran back to her brother and father.

Watching her son and grandchildren playing brought a smile to Ino's face as she slowly walked to the nearest picnic table and took a seat. Ino held the blossoms she had picked to her nose, closing her eyes as she inhaled their combined floral scents. Behind her eyelids, random memories replayed as if she were in a movie theater. This place always made her nostalgic, because this park used to be _their_ meadow.

Back then, this was their sanctuary of solitude. Before the benches and the flower bushes and the visitors, this was where they laid down to watch the clouds during the day and to gaze at the stars by night. They would take a nap in the afternoon, his arm around her torso, holding her close. At night, she would use his arm as a pillow while she held the hand attached to the arm beneath her head, their fingers playfully fiddling as she pointed out the constellations to him.

Pinpricks from tears made her tilt her head up and take a deep breath as she looked up, swatches of dusk coloring the sky instead of blue.

Sometimes, what hurt most was looking back on happy times that could be no more, instead of painful experiences themselves.

Head bowed, she closed her eyes again. Ino breathed through the painful grip on her chest as the plucked blooms lay on her lap. When she opened her eyes and lifted her face, her breath caught in her throat as her cerulean orbs widened in surprise. But the look of shock, in just a second, morphed into a gentle smile as she looked to the person suddenly sitting across from her.

"Hello, Ino."

"Shikamaru…" Her voice came out breathless as tears lined her lower lashes, glittering like dew caught by sunrise after a night of rain. "You're back?"

He'd been in Suna for a little over a year. Temari had been diagnosed with a terminal disease two years ago. She'd wanted to spend her remaining time in her hometown, and to be buried in her family's crypt. Shikamaru and Shikadai took an indefinite leave of absence from their shinobi duties to be in Suna with Temari. A year of mourning by the immediate family was customary in Suna, so the widower and the only son stayed behind a bit longer after the funeral.

Shikamaru mirrored Ino's smile, the corners of his eyes adorned by slight wrinkles, evident of how much time had passed between them. He held out his hands, palm upwards, reaching closer to her, but just halfway the surface of the table. "For good."

It was only then that her breath came back to her, and a few tears slipped down her cheeks as she reached across her half of the table to put her hands upon his.

The warmth of his hands felt the same as coming home after a grueling mission. It had been decades since their palms and fingers had been in intimate contact, but it was still so familiar to her; the sensory remembrance had not faded at all. His grip was firm, as if assuring her that this would not be the last that they would hold hands.

Shikamaru lifted her hands to press his lips against her fingers, the cold of the metal band on her left ring finger a contrast to her warmth. The ring that he'd worn in a necklace for years had finally found its rightful place, to the rightful person, the promise from long ago finally seeing the start of its fulfillment.

A few months ago, Ino received a package containing the ring and a letter with a brief note.

 _Wait for me._

Though it was unsigned, she knew whom it was from. Her heart pounded in a way that reminded her of falling in love, and she did not hesitate to slip the ring on her finger, which had been devoid of her wedding ring since her husband passed away about seven years ago.

Shikamaru's lips lingered upon the skin of her fingers as he stared at her with his chocolate eyes while she caressed his fingers with her thumbs. Though she was crying, she had a bright smile, reminding him of how the sun sometimes shines even though it rains.

Looking at him sitting across from her, Ino thought, maybe they hadn't wasted all this time at all. Maybe, this was the perfect timing for them. She had a son who has ensured that the Yamanaka legacy would continue to live on. He had a son that had just recently become the head of the clan. The hectic demands of their youth and middle age were no longer on their shoulders, having passed them down to the next generation already.

This time, they did not have Inoichi's last will and testament, stating that Ino, being the last of the Yamanaka clan, should not and could not take in marriage another clan heir unless she wanted their distinguished lineage to die out, to come between them and break them apart.

This was their beginning. Or more appropriately, their continuation.

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 _And I will stumble and fall_

 _I'm still learning to love_

 _Just starting to crawl_

"Say Something" by The Great Big World

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 _ **A/n:**_ This was inspired by the encounter between Marina Abramovic and Ulay in Abramovic's 2010 MoMa Restrospective, _The Artist is Present_. This was shown in the music video for the song, _Ulay, Oh_ sung by How I Became The Bomb. It's on youtube. I strongly recommend people to watch it. It is definitely moving. T_T

 **[1]** Flower meanings taken from content/aboutflowers/flower-meanings


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